Outcasts
by jkmrsy
Summary: What will happen when five outcast children-a jinchuuriki among them-meet each other and form a bond? And what will happen after they meet Naruto and the gang? Can they become exceptional shinobi in a world where they've been alone since childhood?
1. Chapter 1

**Name:** Lakaira Mikonami

**Age:** 13

**Personality:** Quiet, loves music, loves animals, thoughtful, protective of her friends, smart, energetic

**Abilities:** Lakaira uses her high intellect to her advantage and is often ten steps ahead of her opponent with hundreds of different scenarios planned out. Her IQ is higher than Shikamaru's at 210 so she can fight all types of opponents ranging in chakra natures and fighting styles. She has a water type chakra and is best at fighting fire style users. She has a keke genkai of communication with animals and can transform herself into any animal of her choosing making her an any range fighter. Thanks to her knowlage and abilities, she seldom gets so much as a scratch in battle. She is highly skilled in ninjutsu and is slightly a genjutsu type. She can recognize and dispell all but the most powerful genjutsu in only seconds.

**History:** At a young age of 7 Lakaira's father murdered her mother in an act of drunkeness. He couldn't live with himself and thought he was unsafe for Lakaira and her brother so he commited suicide soon after.

The anbu of the village discovered his motives and were to send her and Naiko to live with their aunt. She didn't want to live with her aunt and neither did her brother. Their aunt was abusive.

That night she woke up her brother and they snuck into the woods at midnight. There they met their only friend- the animals. Lakaira had an alligator named Tsuki, a snake named Tai, and an eagle named Sono. Naiko had a young buck that he named Jaan.

By morning the ninja were looking everywhere for them, but they were long gone. At dawn Lakaira had transformed herself into a giant eagle. Naiko sat on her back with Tai around his neck and Jaan in front of him. As she took off she grabbed Tsuki. Sono flew with her as she went.

A three day trip on land turned into eighteen hours through filght. They landed in a secluded forest. They made their life wandering until a few years later, when all hell broke loose...

**Looks: **Lakaira is a thin girl with a light complexion. Her eyes are such a deep blue that most mistake it for black. She keeps her waistlength, onyx hair tied up in high pigtails on the side of her head instead of the back. She wears a tan shirt with a black, cutoff jacket over it, short black skirt, white, thigh-high socks, and normal shinobi sandals.

* * *

><p><strong>Name:<strong> Naiko Mikonami

**Age:** 12

**Personality:** Funny, supportive, hyperactive, determined, stubborn, loves animals, loves the outdoors, free spirited

**Abilities:** Naiko's keke genkai is the ability to communicate with animals. He can also summon any animal known to man without ever having signed a blood contract. His tactics are reckless but effective in their outcome. He has an air natured chakra and he uses it in nearly everything he does. He develops his own minimal jutsus based on anything that can be done with air. He is generally a long range fighter and often uses combo attacks with his sister. He mostly uses ninjutsu combined with taijutsu for brute force attacks that deal heavy damage when successful.

**History:** When he was 6, Naiko's father killed his mother in a drunken rage. Out of guilt he killed himself the next night. He and his sister discovered him that morning.

The anbu found it a suicide and were to send him and Lakaira to their aunt. The anbu didn't know that she was abusive though. That night they ran. They slept in the woods with the animals.

He had a young buck named Jaan as a companion. His sister had an alligator named Tsuki, a snake named Tai, and an eagle named Sono.

By dawn Lakaira had transformed herself into a giant eagle and they were off. He rode on her back with Tai around his neck and Jaan in front of him. Tsuki was carried underneath them and Sono flew with them for miles.

Eighteen hours later they touched ground. He rolled off his sister's back to rest on the ground. She transformed herself back to her human form. The two of them lived that way for a while. Then, the fight started...

**Looks: **Naiko is a pale boy with pale skin, light brown eyes, and short and messy honey-golden hair. He wears a type of collared tanktop that zips up in the front. It is a light blue with white in the center-front, following the zipper and black lining. He also wears black pants and shinobi sandals.

* * *

><p><strong>Name:<strong> Minara Sukana

**Age:**13

**Personality:** Quiet, reserved, thoughtful, hot tempered, slightly sadistic, strong, overprotective of those close to her

**Abilities:** Minara has a strength that can surpass even Lee. The collar she carries around her neck attributes to a lot of the weight she holds. There are two others that are affixed to her ankles. She has a fire type chakra thanks to her demon, a dragon sealed within her body at birth. Her clan was in leauge with the Uchiha many years ago and fire style jutsus were traded among the clans. She is a close and mid range fighter depending on wether she uses taijutsu or ninjutsu.

**History:** When she was born, a dragon demon was sealed inside Minara's body. Like most other jinchuuriki, she was considered merely a weapon of her village.

It didn't take long for the elders to consider her more of a threat than an asset and ordered her assassination. She was only four years old. She hadn't done anything that would purposely hurt people, though being a child she let the anger leak out easily . The ones that accepted the assassination mission were her parents.

While they were tucking her in one night her mother pulled out a kunai and attempted to stab her in the gut. Her body immediately reacted and melted the kunai in her mother's hand. Her emotions got the better of her and before she knew it, half of the village was destroyed. She collapsed and the demon's chakra protected her through the rest of the night.

When she awoke, the still surviving ninja of her village were surrouning her with any weapons they had. They all melted before they could hit her. In a last resort to get rid of her they all opened their vests setting off paper bombs from every angle around her.

The demon's chakra took the form of a dragon and curled around her. She was blasted out of the village and even though she survived, she never found it again. She lived from place to place, learning to keep her emotions in check and never let her dark secret be found out. Then she ran into them...

**Looks: **Minara has pale white skin and deep black eyes and hair that she keeps open down to her waist. Though her demon is a dragon, she has large, catlike ears. Her style of dress is almost tribal. The dress she wears has leather straps around her neck and is mostly blue and brown and decorated with triangles. There is a large slit up the right side and the bottom is decorated with fringe while the arms go down to come to points at her hands. She carries a large, metal weight around her neck as a collar and two around her ankles. She wears black, thigh-high socks and shinobi sandals.

* * *

><p><strong>Name:<strong> Kataro Imuzumi

**Age:** 13

**Personality:** Cold, uncaring, strong, smart, detached from all people, seemingly heartless, stubborn

**Abilities:** Kataro can sense his opponent's chakra type and uses it to his advantage when in a battle. He uses his perception skills to come up with a battle plan that fits multiple situations. His chakra nature is lightning and he has a range of jutsu that he can combine with the natural elements around him to make for a more damaging attack. He is a mid range fighter so he can deal pretty well with any range opponent. He, like most shinobi, is best at his ninjutsu and can even use the weakest and most basic to his advantage.

**History:** It was the time of civil war in the village when Kataro was born. He was in training to be a ninja at a young age, dispite his mother's and father's protest. He was taught to be merciless no matter who he was fighting against. That's how things were in a civil war.

At home, he was a completely different person. He acted as a happy, young child should. He didn't have a care in the world. One thing that he easily forgot was that his home was not a safe haven. Bad things could still happen.

When he was six an attack of the opposing forces hit his part of the village. He tried to fight, but he was still too young. Houses were getting raided and nobody was being left alive.

His mother pulled him into a corner where a secret door would be activated when she combined his father's chakra with hers. He was coming to them when a kunai flew straight through his throat. Although he had had most of his emotions ripped out of him, Kataro was destroyed inside when his father was killed. He was his best friend.

His mother stood in front of him and took a fighting stance. Her dress was long enough to temporarily hide him from enemy eyes. She wasn't much of a fighter, but she could evade. Sadly, it wasn't enough. She was outnumbered at four to one.

Kataro died inside that day, but something new was born within him. Staring at his mother's and father's dead bodies, he felt an electric jolt go though him. He shivered and the enemy laughed. The jolt burst out of him from every availabe opening.

His house was comletely destroyed on the inside. Only one hole in the roof left any trace of damage from the outside.

He jumped out that hole and looked down into the carnage with a blank look on his face. He had no emotion left to spare. That day made him hate wartime, but it didn't mean that he wouldn't fight when he had to. He kept that in mind as he left the village...

**Looks: **Kataro has light skin and white, spikey hair. His eyes are a crimson red with no pupils-similar to the Hyugas. He has a blue and white shirt with a high, open collar and silver linings. He has a white sash draped over his back on his right shoulder and two small leather straps around his left. On his left hand he wears a blue, fingerless glove and on his right wrist he wears a white sweatband. He has white shorts with blue pocket linings. There is a pair of blue goggles that he wears on his head and he wears black shinobi sandals.

* * *

><p><strong>Name:<strong> Jakun Saaro

**Age:** 13

**Personality:** Loud, energetic, fast, quick thinker, loves the outdoors, funny, egotistic

**Abilities:** Jakun is able to quickly gather his surroundings and make an acurate analysis of what procedure should be taken to effectively gain the upper hand in a fight or escape if need be. He has an earth natured chakra and centers his jutsu around earth based attacks. His fighting style is that of a close range fighter and won't do well in a long range fight without something to bring his opponent into hand to hand combat. He excels in taijutsu and works best under pressure.

**History:** His whole life Jakun lived in the outdoors. His parents had built a cabin away from civilization. Yes, they were part of a village, but they enjoyed the solitude of the forest.

Jakun would play in the dirt and trees and streams that were oh so common in the wilderness. From watching and interacting with the animals he learned to act animalistic. If someting dangerous came along he would take the most appropriate action based on what the danger was and he would do it quickly.

His parents were proud of him and found no need to send him to the acadamy. Because of this decision, he never saw the village he was from. He didn't mind though. He loved the outdoors and would rather die than leave it for living among civilization.

He was practically an animal in everything he did. He learned effective ways to catch fish by watching bears and big cats from the trees, and what plants to avoid through watching the deer, and where the best small snacks like nuts and berries were by watching the birds and mice. He could live just fine without people. But he didn't know he would have to someday.

His parents went off on a hunting trip one day and never came back. He looked everywhere for them but couldn't find a trace of them even though he had become a skilled tracker over the years. He never did find out what happened to them.

They couldn't have just up and left on him. He knew they loved him too much to leave him behind and they only took their hunting supplies. Everyday he would go out looking for them and come back empty handed.

Of course he was doing fine as far as surviving alone, but he just couldn't take it. That forest had come to haunt him even though it was home. He grabbed what clothes and weapons he could carry and left. He didn't continue his searches for his parents. He didn't think that he could ever be close to people again. So much for that idea...

**Looks: **Jakun has slightly tanned skin and he has long-for a boy anyway-spikey, brown hair that's got a slightly reddish tint to it. His eyes are a dark brown-like wet earth. He wears an orange short-sleeved shirt and a gray jacket with a fur-trimmed hood. He has dark gray pants that go to mid-calf and he keeps a dog tag around his neck. His shoes are black shinobi sandals.

* * *

><p><strong>Lakaira's P.O.V.<strong>  
>Lakaira was walking through the forest with her brother, Naiko. Jaan and Tsuki were walking with them at their side. Sono was flying avove the trees and Tai was resting around Naiko's neck much like a loose scarf.<p>

The area where the siblings had been staying was destroyed in a recent flood. That had caused a mudslide that they barely got out of alive. Thankfully, Lakaira transformed just in time to fly them out of there. That was about a week ago. They had covered quite a bit of ground since then.

They always had to move for one reason or another. After six years of travel, she had become used to it. She knew that it was tough on Naiko, but he was the most stubborn person she thought to be alive. He wouldn't let on how hard it was even if he was dying. Always putting on a brave and happy face.

The two were laughing about a joke Naiko told as they went along. Something about how the girls used to hate him. Lakaira kept her eyes peeled for any form of food. They had lost most of it in the flood and had to rely on scavanging until they came to the next village.

Soon the pair came across an apple tree. "Naiko! Apple tree ahead to the right!" the elder pointed out. The blonde looked in the direction his sister had pointed and smiled. He ran up to it and jumped, grabbing three apples.

"Here, catch!" he yelled, tossing her a fruit. She grabbed it and took a bite. "Jaan! Food!" he called. Jaan came over and took the apple from his hand while he bit into his.

Lakaira walked over to the tree where Naiko was sitting and sat down next to him. Tai slithered off his neck and into the brush to hunt. Tsuki crawled into a nearby stream and Sono let out a cry as he dove in the distance to catch the movement that caught his eye.

**Kataro's P.O.V.**  
>Kataro was moving east while eating one of the riceballs he had picked up in the last town he was in.<p>

His hair was sticking in all directions from the electric pulses in his body, not that he cared that much. At least the hair was out of his eyes. He had your goggles around his neck, not caring to keep it on his head at the moment. Things had been pretty boring lately.

He was in a rut, following the same routine everyday. Get up, clean off in the stream nearby, go to town for food by working in a food bar, go back to camp and train, clean off again and go to sleep. Following the same pattern everyday was dangerous. It made you too predictable, and in battle that spelled death even for the strongest shinobi.

He was headed back to camp right now. An eagle's cry sounded in the distance. Weird, eagles didn't normally nest or live around this area. It could be a ninja's messenger bird, but that was highly unlikely.

Kataro shrugged to himself. It didn't matter to him since it was pretty far away and most likely wouldn even bring the ninja in his direction. He took another bite of the riceball and kept walking.

In a few minutes he was back at camp. His lunch was gone and he sat down to read a few ninja scrolls that he had picked up in town after his odd job. Now he was reading about chakra control and he thought he would give it a shot once he thought he could get his head wrapped around it.

**Jakun's P.O.V.**  
>He was jogging through the forest like he did everyday. There was a rusling to his right and Jakun glanced over at the squirrel that had made the noise. He reached into his pocket and tossed a few walnuts that he had picked up along his way. The rodent ran back into the brush.<p>

Jakun sat down and leaned against a tree, smiling. Living in the outdoors for as long as he had, he would know that he only had to wait a few minutes before it came out again. It looked out and grabbed the nuts. Jakun smiled wider as it sat on its haunches and nibbled on what was supposed to be his snack.

He couldn't help it. Animals and the wild were more important to him than his own health if it wasn't life or death. If he was really hungry, he could hunt something down or go fishing in the river nearby.

After the squirrel was gone the boy got up and continued his jog. As usual, he was glancing left and right in a fit of animalistic paranoia. It's how he was brought up. Well, more so how he taught himself to be by observing the wildlife.

His path came to the river which he knew would open up again a mile or so upstream. Then he would be able to continue on the path. Jakun dove in and started his way against the current.

The underwater world was amazing. It's not like there were exotic fish or animals, but it was amazing all the same watching the plants sway with the current and the rocks tumble and the fish swim against the invisible force. He always swam like that. It was peaceful even if the surface was turmoil.

A few fish swam by and he watched them move. Then an eagle's talons swept through his hair and snatched one of the fish in front of him. He turned over and swam to the surface. He took a gulp of air as he watched the bird of prey fly off.

**Minara's P.O.V.**  
>Minara was sitting in a tree not far from a clearing, enjoying her lunch. The river nearby was stocked with fish in this area. With a sharpened stick and some fire jutsu, she was eating in no time.<p>

When she inhaled, she scented something different. She sniffed at the air. It was saltier than usual. That meant rain was coming soon. She growled under her breath. The girl finished her fish and sighed. Leaping down from the tree, she grabbed her stuff and landed flawlessly.

An eagle called from somewhere behind her. It was probably fishing, but that didn't mean it was harmless. Shinobi generally used birds, so she was going to get out of there. She then turned in the direction of the clearing. There was shelter not too far off. It was best to be there and ready before she was caught in the downpour.

Minara really didn't like water all that much. It was an annoyance to her as a fire style user and it irritated the demon. It might not be able to drag her into its chamber very often, but it had a way of radiating its feelings and intentions to her.

Within a few minutes she was there. There was a boulder that had been hollowed out and good tree cover. She walked inside and dropped her things in the back end before going back to the forest to gather firewood. Just as she got back twenty minutes later, thunder sounded. She made a small fire pit and ignited the kindling getting ready to wait out the storm.


	2. Chapter 2

**Jakun's P.O.V.**  
>Jakun sat in an abandoned bear's den, waiting for the storm to end. It started up just before he reached the end of his swim.<p>

He sneezed. Of course he had to be soaking wet already when it started raining. Now he was freezing. He shivered and huddled into his jacket-which was no help in protecting from the rain by the way. At least it was dry in the den, not that it was any warmer.

A light flashed, catching his attention. He counted. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Then thunder rumbled through the mountains. The storm was seven miles away. This could take a while.

He leaned down to the ground and rested his head on his arms. He stared at the wall and started thinking to himself. _'Eight years...It's been eight long years since I lost them...'_ he thought as he slowly drifted into unconciousness.

**Naiko's P.O.V.**  
>Naiko and his sister were walking through the rain like it was normal weather. The siblings were doing nothing to get out of the storm. The animals did their thing and went off someplace to hide. The two needed to clean up anyway.<p>

Naiko had started a little wrestling match with Lakaira and he rolled them into a mud bank. She didn't hate him for it like most girls would. When he was five all the girls hated him for things like that. They treated him like a disease. He didn't mind so much though. So long as he got to hang out with his sister and the animals he was fine. Nothing trivial like that ever really bothered him.

About a half hour later the storm started to clear up. "Hey, Lakiara. Can we do some sparring? I'm bored!" he complained. She laughed. "Sure. Forest or clearing?" she asked.

The blonde thought about it. The forest offered more coverage and animals. On the other hand, a clearing had less wind resistance and often less resources to use water. It would be his advantage. "Let's find a clearing," he said.

He whistled to Jaan and the others. The young buck ran up and scooped the boy up onto his back. "Race ya!" he yelled, already ahead. He laughed at the dumbstruck look on his sister's face.

Then a cheetah ran past him and through a break in the trees. It jumped and transformed back into Lakaira who started doing a victory dance. "Cheater!" he yelled. "Oh come on! Like you didn't!" she laughed.

Naiko dismounted Jaan as the others made their way into the field. "You realize, this means war..." he said as he gathered the air around him. "Bring it on!" she yelled, getting into a fighting stance.

**Kataro's P.O.V.**  
>The storm had cleared just a little while ago. Kataro decided to go to a nearby clearing to train. He sighed. There was nothing else to do and he was tired of this rut. Then an explosion shook the ground. <em>'On the other hand...'<em> he thought. He ran to the clearing to see what was going on.

A girl with black hair and water around her was standing over a blonde boy whose hair was whipping wildly in the wind. "But how?" the boy asked. The girl laughed mockingly at him. "You should have learned by now that I can gather water from any source. Even the air around us," she said.

The boy struggled to get up. "I'm not...giving up..yet," he forced out. The water in the air pooled together and stroked the boy's neck. He jerked away from it and into a wall of water. It encased him. Bubbles formed around him, but not enough to give him air for a long time. "Please," he said, sucking up some of his air supply. The girl laughed. "Giving up?" she asked.

Okay, Kataro needed to intervene. This was like torture and it went against everything he stood for. Electricity ran through the white haired boy's veins. He slunk around the clearing to a blind spot. They were in the direct center, so this wouldn't be easy.

The boy ran out of his extra air supply and Kataro knew that he had to hurry. He rushed out, a blade of electricity in his fist. The boy jolted in surprise at the sight of Kataro's rescue.

He threw the electric blade at the water surrounding the girl. She turned at just the right moment and avoided the blade, but it struck its target. The water electrified immediately.

**Minara's P.O.V.**  
>Minara walked into the clearing near her camp. Not four steps into the area and water shot straight at her. Drenched her too. She hissed in reaction to the demon.<p>

A girl screamed. Minara's head snapped to the direction of the sound. A boy with white hair was standing a few feet from the girl in a position that suggested he threw something at her. A water prison broke and the blonde boy inside fell to the ground, gasping for air.

Minara gathered her chakra and created a fireball that she sent flying toward the girl that controlled the awful liquid. She snapped her head up and looked directly into the flame. Then she dodged in a way completely unexpected. She jumped, her arms transforming to wings and her body covering itself in feathers.

The boy whipped his head around and yelled. "Jaan!" A buck dashed out of the woods and he leapt on its back, running from the fireball. The white haired boy backflipped out of the way. The girl transformed back into a human and landed on the buck's back, behind the boy.

The boy steered the buck in Minara's direction. The girl behind him gathered water straight from the air. The jinchuuriki gathered fire in a shield around her body and as the buck ran past her, water singed her shield. She hissed again.

The white haired boy stood in the field gathering energy, but kept on guard at all times. It seemed that he was the kind of person to wait until the perfect time to strike-not just go whenever he wanted.

Electricity pooled around him and he shot it at the girl. The buck swiveled around and the girl jumped off to face Minara as the jolt shot past. The blonde boy snapped his arms forward and a rush of wind knocked the other boy back.

Then from nowhere another boy ran into the field. "What the hell is going on here?" he yelled. Minara ignored him for the time being. He wasn't much of a threat to her anyway. It seemed everybody else followed her lead.

**Jakun's P.O.V.**  
>Everyone ignored Jakun. This was wrong. It didn't seem like any of them were fighting for anything. In his opinion, one should only fight for self preservation, but he'd have to make an exeption to stop the others.<p>

He created a dome of earth around the water girl. "Lakaira!" a boy shouted.

A buck ran past, to the dome. It started to crack. What? What was he doing? Jakun looked closer and noticed that the boy was using wind. This kid was good if he could crack the earth dome with just air.

The girl that the water user was fighting shot flame darts at the blonde boy. He successfully dodged, but his element was engulfed in flame. That wasn't good. The earth would heat up and become weak, but the girl inside could bake to death! It's not like he ever wanted to hurt her. He just wanted to provide a means of stopping the fight.

She started screaming. "Lakaira!" the blonde boy shouted again. Jakun dropped the barrier and she fell to the ground.

The other boy, who had remained still for most of the time, charged at the brunette. He doged and noticed that this kid used electricity. Shit...Not good.

The blonde boy dismounted the deer and ran to the Lakaira girl. He rushed air into her system and she sat up.

The fire girl charged up again. "Stop!" the other gasped. "Why should I?" the fire user sneered. "You attacked me first!" "I didn't attack you!" the water girl shouted. "It was his fault! He electrified the water and sent it flying in every direction!" she said, pointing to the boy who just tried to attack Jakun

Jakun threw a punch at him. "You were killing that boy, who seems too concerned with your health for someone who was being killed by you!" he yelled, dodging. "We're siblings! We were just sparring!" the blonde boy yelled back.

"And what about you?" the lightning boy asked you. "Why did you try to kill the girl?" Jakun jumped out of the way of a jab. "I wasn't! I was trying to get you all to stop!" he yelled. The others all stopped when he spoke.

**Kataro's P.O.V.**  
>"Wait. So all of this was just a big mistake?" he asked frowning. The blonde boy laughed, causing everyone to look at him. "I guess it was!" he laughed.<p>

"Hey, my name's Naiko, and this guy here in Jaan," he said, pointing to himself and then to the buck. "Naiko, do you think this is a good idea?" his sister asked. "Sure Lakaira. I'm a good judge of character. Bring out the others," he smiled.

"What is wrong with this kid?" the other girl whispered to herself. Kataro glaced sideways at the girl and noticed that the earth style user did too.

Lakaira turned back to the forest. "Guys! Come on out!" she yelled. An eagle cried. Kataro wondered why the hell that thing was here in the first place. It swooped down and landed on Lakaira's shoulder. Huh. So it was a ninja's messenger bird. Go figure...An alligator crawled out of the weeds making the other girl get defensive. Soon it reached the group and a snake slithered up Lakaira's leg to her neck. "This is Sono, Tsuki, and Tai" she said, pointing to the eagle, then the alligator, and the snake.

"Who are you?" Naiko asked. "What does it matter? We won't see each other again," Kataro said, planning to leave as soon as this discussion was over. "Dude, it's just nice to know," the other boy said. "My name's Jakun," he said, offering his hand to Naiko. They shook hands and smiled.

"You don't need to know me. Nobody cares and I cause too much trouble anyway," the other girl said. "Well, even though we were just trying to kill each other a second ago, I care," Lakaira said. "I'm alone in this world. I'm hated because I'm a jinchuuriki," she said. The group stopped and stared. "See? It's always the same," she said.

"Don't care," Naiko said. "You're a person and that's all that matters." She jerked her head up. "Do you really care?" she asked skeptically. "Yeah. We're all we've got. We lost our parents some time ago and have been traveling ever since," Naiko said. "Gotta give people a chance."

"So did I!" Jakun said, referring to his past. "Me too," Kataro gasped. They all stared at each other. "I'm Minara," the girl said. "Kataro," he said.

"Oh, oh, oh! Idea!" Lakaira blurted. "None of us have anyone, so let's be there for each other," she said.

Kataro looked back and forth. "I'm all for it!" Jakun said. Kataro and Minara nodded. This was the going to be the beginning of a very strange friendship...


	3. Chapter 3

**Minara's P.O.V.**  
>It had been about a week since the pact was made. Minara was surprised that no one had gotten fed up with the others. She actually-surprisingly-got used to it all. It was like she belonged. For the first time in her life since she was four, she was happy. Not that she showed it very often. She did let her guard down more often now though.<p>

"Yo! Minara, hurry up!" Jakun yelled, snapping her out of her thoughts. She had fallen behind in her musings-not uncommon for her-and lost sight of the others. It wasn't too hard to find them. They weren't about to abandon her, and for that they had earned her trust. She ran up to the group.

"Where are we going anyway?" she asked.

"Don't know," Naiko said.

"We never do," Lakaira added.

"Hey guys! Check this out," Kataro yelled from up ahead.

When had he disappeared? That was an annoying habit of his. Minara might trust him, but she didn't have to like everything about him. His stealth was one of those undesirable traits. It made her uncomfortable.

Everyone had run to where he was calling from except for her who had gotten lost in thought again. This time Jakun just came back and pulled her along. She wrenched her wrist out of his grasp and snarled at him, but picked up the pace to rejoin the others again. Kataro was standing at a tall, probably electrified fence.'

"What's so important? It's a fence," Minara said, dryly.

"I think this place could be our permanent home," he said.

"Why do you think that?" Lakaira asked.

"The fence and heavy vegitation suggests that nobody comes here, or at least not very often. It makes the perfect place for us to live without being disturbed," he explained.

"Or, it could mean that this area is retricted. What makes you think that we're allowed here?" Minara said, contradicting him.

"Well that's just it Minara. If nobody is allowed here then we'll have free range and in theory, if people aren't allowed, then who's going to come in and kick us out?" he shot back smoothly.

Stupid smart-ass, soldier boy. Why did he always have to speak to her like a child when he was contradicting _her_?

"Makes sense to me!" Naiko said. "Let's go!" He ran at the fence.

"No!" Kataro yelled, putting himself between Naiko and the metal barrier.

The blonde had no hope of slowing down let alone stopping. He was going at full force in a short distance. When he hit Kataro, the latter was thrown into the fence and an electric jolt went through his body.

"Kataro!" she yelled.

"Relax..." he mumbled. "I can redirect the electricity through my body."

Lakaira smacked her brother upside the head. "Do you realize just how reckless you are? You could have gotten yourself killed!" she yelled.

"Yeah, sorry!" he said rapidly.

The only one who had seemed to remain calm was the wild child. He kind of creeped her out too with his animalistic fits of paranoia and how he always could sense danger. It was a good thing, she knew that. But really, nobody could read the atmosphere like him.

"Guys, if Kataro can redirect electricity, then we can easily hop the fence by using him as an insulator," Jakun said.

"Great. Nice to know I'm needed," Kataro said sarcastically. He stepped away from the fence and picked up the person closest to him. It was Minara.

"Hey! Put me down!" she yelled.

"Would you like to fly over, dragon girl?" he asked, again sarcastically.

They all knew about her demon. She had tried for the first three or four days as hard as she could to scare them off. They knew practically everything about that demon. She had even resorted to telling them of her massacre at four. Not even that deterred them. Well, maybe they deserved her trust for that one too. None the less, they still treated her like a normal person, which essentially ment not leaving her alone and getting way too close for comfort-at least in her case.

She grumbled to herself as the white haired boy scaled the fence and dropped her to the other side. She found her balance midair and easily landed on her feet. She leaned against a tree as he brought the others over.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're annoying?" she asked.

"And pushy?" Lakaira added.

"I'm a military brat. Deal with it," Kataro said.

Jakun and Naiko laughed.

**Jakun's P.O.V.**  
>The paranoia started getting to Jakun as the group walked. He kept looking left and right and in every other direction he could think of. It was creepy. He had never been in a forest so still before. Not a sound was to be heard. The wind barely even made a noise as it whispered through the trees.<p>

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Minara asked.

"Guys, how many animals do you see?" he asked in response to her question.

Everyone looked around with him now. It was so eerie.

"I don't like this place..." he said."Lakaira. Naiko. How are your animals doing?" he asked the siblings.

"Not good," Lakaira said after checking in with them.

"Sono, you want to fly through real quick and tell us what you see?" Naiko directed the eagle.

The bird took off and they all waited. A few minutes later he cried and landed on Lakaira's shoulder. She conversed with the bird for a couple of seconds. The siblings' jaws dropped.

"What?" Kataro asked.

"This place is filled with giant and killer animals!" Naiko said frantically.

"Speaking of which..." Minara said, pointing behind Jakun and Kataro. "Snake!" she yelled.

The two turned around immediately. A giant snake that could swallow a moose whole with no problem emerged from the trees. Everybody yelled and screamed as the group ran through the forest from the serpent.

"Lakaira!" Naiko yelled.

"Right!" she said.

They whipped around and stood their ground together. "Alright you!" Lakaira said. "We're top dogs now and this is one group of humans that is not going to be your lunch!" she yelled.

"You got that?" Naiko added.

The rest of them skidded to a halt. They turned to look at the two idiots.

"Lakaira! Naiko! What are you doing!" Jakun hissed.

"You're going to get us killed!" Minara added.

The snaked hissed, menacingly. "No, we're not looking to hurt anyone. We'll even protect this forest as our home along with the animals that live here," The blonde boy reasoned.

The snake didn't seem to agree. "No really!" Lakaira said. "Ask _our_ snake, Tai!"

The snake slithered off of her neck and up to its giant cousin. The big one lowered its head and the two hissed at each other for what seemed like an exeptionally long time. Only the bother and sister knew what was happening. Soon the giant rested its head on the ground and Naiko and Lakaira walked up to it.

"Now that's a good boy," Lakaira smiled, patting its head. "C'mon guys!" she motioned to the others.

They all slowly made their way over to it. It was like a completely different animal now. It looked at Kataro and slithered toward him. He backed up.

"Relax Kataro," Jakun said. "It's a reptile. It sees your electrical current as a source of warmth."

He backed up against a tree. The snake rubbed around him, almost seeming to smile. "Eheheheh. Did I mention that snakes are the one thing I'm afraid of?" he said nervously.

"Alright Axi, you're freaking Kataro out," Lakaira said.

"Axi?" Minara asked.

"That's his name," Naiko said as the snake slithered around him in a circle. "Mind giving us a little tour of the place boy?" he laughed.

The snake stopped and the boy hopped on its back. Lakaira hopped on in front of him.

Kataro hadn't moved. In fact, he was actually reaching behind him to grab at the tree. Jakun sighed and walked over to him, grabbing his arm and wrenching him from the trunk. He then dragged Kataro to the snake and slung him onto Axi's back, getting on behind Naiko.

Minara got on in the back and the snake took off. The snake wove through the trees, passing a river several times and making turns that seemed random until the wild boy looked up to see the wild animals and occasionally giant leeches. Hours passed.

"You realize how akward this is, right?" Jakun asked Kataro, who's arms were wrapped in a choke hold around his friends waist.

"Don't. Care," he coked out, shivering once as the snake wove through the trees.

Jakun sighed and looked around. Then he caught a glimpse of something through the thick trees.

"Stop!" he yelled. The snake lurched to a halt and he had to work to keep himself on.

"What is it?" Minara asked.

"Over there," Jakun said, pointing toward the break in the trees.

"Take us there Axi!" Lakaira enthusiastically directed.

The snake turned and headed in the direction the brunette had pointed. He slithered through the break and into an open meadow.

**Naiko's P.O.V.**  
>"Wow..." Lakaira said.<p>

"Jakun, this is amazing! How did you spot this?" she asked.

"Animal instincts," he smiled.

Minara hopped off of the snake's and looked around. "Guys, I think we found our new home..." she said.

Naiko and Lakaira slid off too. "Ya know what? I think she's right," he said.

Jakun jumped down, taking Kataro with him. "Land! Sweet land!" Kataro exulted, groveling on the ground.

"Oh please...It's just a snake," Minara said, rolling her eyes.

"I hate snakes, okay?" he yelled.

Naiko laughed a little under his breath. "Axi, why don't you go break down some trees for us to build with?" he asked the snake.

Axi turned and went back into the forest at his command. "And make sure they're good and strong!" Lakaira yelled after him.

Soon they heard tree trunks snapping. Hopefully it wouldn't attract too much attention from any nearby people or the animals in the forest.

"We're going to need a solid base first," Jakun said.

"To prevent leaks, our base should be solid stone at best," Lakaira said.

"I can do that," Jakun offered.

"Go for it," Kataro said, now recovered from his freak out.

Jakun ran out to the middle of the field and made a few handsigns, then slammed his hands to the ground. He started to get up, keeping his hands in the grass. He strained like his hands were actually attached to the earth. The ground started rumbling and breaking apart where Jakun stood. A giant slab of stone rose under him up to about twenty feet. He detached his hands from the stone and smiled.

"Uh, I don't want to climb that high to get to the house," Kataro stated.

"I'm working on it!" Jakun yelled back.

He made a few more signs and clasped his right wrist. He pulled his fist out of his hand's grasp and yelled. "Iron fist!" he said. Then he slammed his fist into the rock. It cracked and faltered in strange ways and then it crumbled. Jakun fell to the ground with it and in the slab's place was a clean stone floor.

"Dude, you're amazing!" Minara exulted.

"Tell me something I don't know," he smiled.

Naiko laughed. "Where did you learn that?" he asked.

"My dad taught me when I was little," Jakun said. "I have a fort that I built back at home."

Then Naiko turned his head as Axi came back with a couple of trees in his mouth. The building began. With everyone using their elements to cut, mold, lift, and attach, plus Aki bringing trees back intermittantly the cabin was roughly built by the end of the day. At least the outer and inner walls anyway. The sun was starting to go down by the time the roof was put together.

"Hey Axi," Naiko said. "How safe is this place at night?" The snake lowered his head. "Not so good huh?" the boy said.

"Guys! We're gonna have to turn in for the night," Lakaira said.

"Why? I can keep going for the next eight hours," Minara boasted.

"It's not about energy, Minara. It's safety. My instincts are telling me that this it's a bad idea to stay out here after dark," Jakun said.

Minara laughed. "What? Are you afraid dirt boy?"

She was being a jerk, but that's how she lived. Jakun turned on his heel and walked off into the cabin. Minara snarled and turned the other way.

"Lakaira, would you mind?" Kataro sighed.

Naiko's sister made a handsign and raised one arm. She murmered to herself and he knew what she was doing imediately. A heavy fog covered the field and he couldn't see three feet in front of himself. His ears, however, were working fine. Minara hissed under her breath.

"Minara, will you please just sleep inside tonight? It's just a precaution," Kataro tried to reason.

"Fine!" she snapped before stomping past the blonde boy.

It was amazing that she missed running into anyone. She even came close enough to Naiko that he could make out her shilouette before she twirled right around him and stormed into the cabin. Lakaira dissipated the mist and Naiko led the way inside.

**Kataro's P.O.V.**  
>Even though there weren't any windows in the building yet, Kataro was up with the sun. The training had set his internal clock so now he roughly knew what time it was at all times even without light or technology.<p>

He stood up and stretched. With no beds yet, it was difficult to sleep on the hard floor. At the very least he was used to sleeping on dirt.

He walked out the door and came face to face with Axi. He stared at the white haired boy and his mind went blank for a second. Before he knew it, he was back inside with his back up against the door. He was breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Ugh...What's going on?" Lakaira moaned, sitting up and stretching.

"Snake. Outside. The door," he forced out.

She stood up and pushed him out of the way. "Axi, please go to the edge of the field so Kataro can step outside in comfort," she practically yawned.

He waited in the dark room. She sighed and pulled him to the door. He hesitated.

"Do I have to go out with you?" she asked.

Kataro nodded. "Please."

He stepped out the door and she followed soon after with two cups. "Hold these," she said, forcing them into his hands.

She made a small handsign and a string of water looped out of the ground and off of the plants. She placed the water in the cups and looked at him expectantly. He focused the electricity in his hands on the water to kill off any possible bacteria and then gave her a cup.

She took it and drank. Kataro did too as they watched the sun rise higher into the sky. It was a few hours before the other three were up and the water process was repeated.

"That river that we passed yesterday is nearby. We can catch some fish for breakfast," Jakun said.

Naiko's stomach growled to add to the statement. "Alright, let's go!" he said.

"As soon as I fix my hair," Lakaira finished.

She and Minara walked inside and came out about five minutes later. In Kataro's opinion that was way too long to just brush two girls' hair. But he wasn't going to attempt to decipher the enigma that was the female mind.

The hike to the river was downhill and the fishing was...interesting to say the least. He would stun the fish by putting his hands in the water and letting the electricity flow out of his fingers. Lakaira would lift them out of the water in little bubbles and then Minara would heat it up to cook them. Naiko and Jakun went upriver to avoid the shock and caught a few fish in the water themselves and cooked them over a campfire.

It turned out that they all caught more than any of them would eat. The animals ate the leftovers aside from Naiko's deer and by the time they all got back to the clearing, Kataro was already thinking about the necessity of furnature and appliances.

"Guys you know we're going to need stuff like beds and plumbing right?" he asked.

"Yeah and?" Minara asked.

"We need to find a village around here somewhere for the necessary supplies," he explained.

"No. No, no, no," Jakun said. "I'm not going into a village without a fight." Everyone gave him a look.

"Why not?" Lakaira asked.

"I've never been in a village in my whole life. They make me uncomfortable," he explained.

"Well, you're going to have to deal with it," Minara said.

"Now let's get going!" Naiko said, pumping his fist in the air.

**Lakaira's P.O.V.**  
>"Kakashi sensei! Hurry up! I want to make it to the training grounds today!" a loud voice called from the east.<p>

Everyone in the group snapped their heads in the direction of the voice. "I think that's our cue to head that direction," Lakaira said.

Jakun sat down and crossed his arms. "Nope," he said stubbornly.

Minara huffed out a breath. "You are going wether you like it or not!" she yelled.

In the meantime Kataro was sneaking up behind him. The water girl knew something was up when she saw the other's hair start sticking up. He held up his hand, palm out, and touched Jakun's back. He slumped over a little and Kataro picked him up by the hood of his jacket.

"Kataro! What are you doing?" Lakaira squeaked.

"He's fine...It's just to stun him and make him cooperate," he explained.

"Um, can you explain? Naiko asked.

"I'm in control of his nervous system, so his body responds to the electrical pulses I send out instead of the ones his own brain is sending him," Kataro said.

"I hate you..." Jakun hissed.

Minara snickered evilly under her breath. Lakaira couldn't help chuckling herself.

"Guys...the village?" Naiko asked.

"No! You can't make me!" Jakun yelled.

Kataro leaned in close to Jakun's ear. "Don't make me turn off your mouth," he threatened.

Jakun inhaled deeply and then huffed.

"Axi!" Lakaira called. The giant snake slithered up, making Kataro glance in his direction. "Do you think you could give us a ride to the edge of the forest in the direction of the nearest village?" she aksed.

He nodded. She smiled and leapt onto his back, followed by Naiko and Minara. Kataro hesitated behind Jakun.

"Aww, you're afraid of snakes right? Looks like we'll have to stay here," Jakun taunted.

Then a look of determination came across Kataro's face. He crouched a little, causing Jakun to do so as well, and they jumped onto Axi's back together.

On the way to the outer edges of the forest, Lakaira was keeping her eyes set on the wildlife. The animals here were amazing. And most of them seemed poisonous or parasitic if they weren't giant. Living here was going to be interesting.

Soon they came to a fence like the first one they had come across the day before. It probably encompassed the entire forest. She slid off the snake's back and stepped up to the chainlink fence. She turned back to the others.

"Kataro? How are we going to get over this?" she asked.

"I can't take you over if I have to keep contact with Jakun," he said.

"Oh! I got it!" Naiko shouted. "Lakaira, get back up here!" he laughed.

She smiled and rolled her eyes and then hopped onto Axi's back again. He leaned down and whispered to the snake, which then lifted its tail over the fence. Then he jumped to his feet and ran up the tail to slide down the other side. Minara went after, followed by Kataro and Jakun, then her.

"Thanks Axi!" she smiled. "Look after the others for us and please make sure they don't get eaten!" The snake simply nodded and slithered off.

The group started off in the direction that Axi had pointed them in and soon came to buildings on the outskirts of the village.

"If I could be shivering right now, I would," Jakun said.

Lakaira looked back to see his eyes glancing back and forth eratically.

"Dude, it's just people. It's nothing you can't handle," Minara sighed angrily.

"And this is coming from the girl who can't stand people," Jakun retorted.

"Yes, but _I _can deal with it because I know that just because they're annoying, doesn't mean that I'm going to die," she shot back.

"Guys! You need to stop!" Lakaira yelled trying to keep the peace.

"But she is right, Jakun. There's nothing to be afraid of," Kataro said.

"Snakes?" Jakun said sarcastically.

"_That_ is entirely different. Besides, I know it's an irrational fear and I'm getting over it because I know Axi is going to remain a part of our lives for a long time," Kataro said, adding a very mature tone to his voice. Jakun was probably going nuts right about now.

When they finally got to the center of the village they had passed a couple dozen stores and there were hundreds more ahead of them. People were passing left and right with the occasional glance at the newcomers. It was pretty weird to see the position that Jakun and Kataro were in.

"Guys...you can let me go now. I trust you," Jakun said.

Kataro looked to the others for the okay and they nodded. It was easy to tell when he was released because Jakun shook himself and stretched.

"Well that was awful!" he said enthusiastically. "Not being in control of your own body sucks!" he said.

"But you must admit, it is a good technique that could be used very effectively in the event that I can come into and stay in contact with my opponent," Kataro reasoned.

"True" Jakun agreed, nodding. "But you say that like you've never used it before."

"I haven't," Kataro said. "I discovered this electrical ability when my parents were killed, but I try to avaoid fights so I never really get the chance to try anything."

"Could have fooled me," Minara said.

"Well, let's split up," Lakaira said. "Nakio and I can go for electronics, Kataro and Jakun can go for plumbing, and Minara can go get furniture. Here's money for everyone. Don't spend it on personal stuff until we have everything we need," she said handing out cash to everyone.

"Where'd you get all this money?" Minara asked.  
>"When our parents died we were left everything. They had a lot of money," Naiko explained.<p>

"Are you sure you didn't rob a bank before we met or something?" Jakun asked.

"Ha ha. Very funny," Lakaira said.

"So, let's get going!" Naiko said, pumping his fist in the air. And with that everyone went their seperate ways.


End file.
